


she lost her sun but found a bunny

by writtenmoo



Category: Mamamoo, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26064373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writtenmoo/pseuds/writtenmoo
Summary: moonbyul breaks up with yongsun, and accidentally de-masks a bunny mascot at an amusement park her first day on the job
Relationships: Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa/Jung Wheein, Bae Joohyun | Irene/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	1. lost

**Author's Note:**

> this is a three-shot with moonrene endgame, so it's somewhat slowburn but not really? I'm done with chapt 2 but I'll post that when I'm done with the final chapter! please enjoy (unedited)

yongsun was moonbyul’s sun, she was her everything, so when the college student found her lover in bed with another woman when she came home early after classes were cancelled, she felt her world falling apart.  
a chill took over her body, leaving her entire being frozen in its wake, as she stood in the doorway of their shared bedroom, witnessing the two bare bodies frantically grabbing at clothes and muted words being thrown between them – almost like a silent film - before one was gone, and the other was left in a pile of blankets on the bed, head looking down.  
“byul… i can explain…” yongsun trailed off, ironically being at a loss of words to continue with. she wrapped herself up in the blanket and got off the bed, taking a step towards the still frozen girl. however, it was as though the girl managed to break out of her trance, as she flinched and took a step back, head turning towards the front door that just slammed shut seconds ago, as though to reconfirm that what had happened, did indeed happen.  
yongsun, sensing that moonbyul was about to rush off, took big strides to the younger girl, reaching her hands out to grab her when the blanket slipped off her body, and there she stood, in all her naked glory, hand clasped on moonbyul’s wrist, but feeling her still try to pull away.  
moonbyul looked back at yongsun right then, and the numerous memories of her lover in this state flashed through like a movie montage, a sharp pain hitting her heart.  
she remembered their first time, the uncertainty and vulnerability they both held, but the overpowering love that was also present in that same time. she remembered all the intimate moments that followed, the times when they would come back from drinking with friends and not even be able to make it to their bedroom, leaving memories of their passion and love for each other everywhere.  
then her mind flitted to how there was a stranger in her bed just minutes before, about to share those feelings that moonbyul had witnessed in yongsun no one had before, about to taint the couple’s shared bed, and she felt tears gathering in her eyes.  
“byul,” yongsun cried out, the panic evident in her voice, but making no further action apart from the hand that was still tight around her lover’s wrist.  
“i’m sorry, it’s my fault, i let the heat of the moment drive me and i wasn’t thinking and before i knew it, we were here, and you were there and i know it sounds like i’m making excuses and that nothing can make up for what i’ve done but- byul!”  
moonbyul could not stand hearing the girl she loves sound so broken trying to explain herself and with one hard pull, broke free from the other’s grasp, running out of the apartment.  
//  
moonbyul was running, still running. she didn’t know where she was going anymore, she didn’t want to be in any place she recognised, so she just kept running. stores flew by, people dodged as she ran past, and moonbyul was focusing on managing her breathing to sustain her run, rather than the thoughts that were waiting to pounce and tear her mind apart the moment she let her mind wander. everywhere that she recognised ignited a memory of the older girl, and she was sure that would be too much, and so she ran.  
further and further she got from the house she thought would be forever, until finally she let herself slow down in front of a park, with a worn out playground, turning into the pathway that led to the swings.  
she stood in front of the swings and gasped for oxygen, hunching over, and clutching her sides that were burning from the stitches her run had given her.  
it took her a few minutes to stabilise her breathing, and when she did, she took a seat on the swings, letting herself float, only occasionally pushing herself off the ground and riding on the momentum.  
her mind floated from one moment to another, once again, she felt tears welling up in her eyes.  
//  
moonbyul had a weird obsession with the sun, the brightest star in our galaxy, ever since she was a little girl. she would always ask questions about the celestial body in the sky, asking how it glowed ever so brightly, why it had to disappear, and how she’d wish that the sun could be a person so that young moonbyul could give it a big hug for making her ever so happy.  
she loved the sun for many reasons, she loved how warm it made her feel, lying down on the sunchair after a full day of hanging out in the pool. she loved the feeling of the sun following her on her school trips, constantly smiling and feeling the sun rays on her skin, although her classmates were continuously complaining about the heat. it was not only her, she felt the plants enjoying the warmth of it too, swaying gently in the wind and basking in it.  
young moonbyul felt a sort of reciprocal love from the sun towards her, as weird as that sounded. there was never much rain around the girl, nothing apart from the occasional storms that even her love for the sun could not overcome.  
as the years passed however, more and more rain clouds drew overhead moonbyul, constantly throwing herself into difficult situations and raining down on her parade. she found herself struggling to stay afloat, the rain water was slowly filling up in the tank she had somehow built for herself, the expectations from her family and teachers being too much to handle, but most importantly, her disappointing herself in not being able to follow her dreams like she wished she could. there was only one thing that decreased the water level in her tank.  
she looked to the sun for support, turning to the fiery ball in the sky over and over again with tears running down her face, when things were getting too much to handle. sobs could be wrecking her body, her throat tight from trying to quieten her cries, but she would feel slightly better when she could see the sun appearing from behind the clouds.  
it was during these tough times that a second, physical, sun had appeared in her life in the form of kim yongsun. she was not moonbyul’s first girlfriend but was her first real love. she gave strength to the younger girl when the sun was hidden too well behind those fluffy clouds, allowing her to push through by being her pillar of support.  
yongsun to her held the same power the sun had to her and she had never felt the same connection she felt with anyone as she did with the older girl.  
having yongsun in her life allowed her to fulfil her childhood dream. she gave the older girl many hugs, gave her kisses all over, whenever she could. she knew better than to withstand affection, aware that her lover sought comfort and found reassurance with such displays of her love.  
similarly, yongsun was heavy-handed in the affection she showed to moonbyul. constantly doing public displays of affections, to the embarrassment of moonbyul, for she was not used to it.  
//  
moonbyul lost track of time just swinging, around an hour or so had gone by when the purple and pink hues of the coming sunset was overcome by rainclouds. moonbyul scoffed.  
‘just my luck really, watch it rain soon just to seal in the fact that i might loose my sun all over again,” moonbyul grumbled, giving in to her fate and just sitting there. true enough, the first droplets of rain landed in front of her, staining the sand one shade darker.  
it was then that the reality of the situation truly dawned on her, and in no time, her tears were mixed with the rain. her wails of anguish coming from the unfamiliar sense of betrayal she felt deep within her tainted the silence that once filled the playground. she dropped from the swing, her knees hitting the ground harshly, causing a jolt of pain to run through her body but she ignored it. instead, she soaked in the melancholy the rain was providing her, feeling a sort of comfort she had never felt before from the intensity of mother nature’s wrath upon her.  
she wondered if this was the end of the relationship she had naturally cherished and never saw herself coming out from, a relationship that had provided her with a sense of security, something the girl had always longed for.  
while the rain was pouring down on her relentlessly, moonbyul heard a faint call of her name, dismissing it instantly to a mere hallucination, her emotions still overwhelming and pouring out of her. it wasn’t until she heard it again, this time clearer, and once more, the distance even yet smaller, and the sensation of the rain hitting her back suddenly gone that she realised that someone was actually there, who was now also covering her with an umbrella.  
“who-“ the rest of the sentence was cut short, words trapped in her hoarse throat, when moonbyul looked up to the person holding her umbrella, only to see the one who had put her in this very predicament.  
yongsun had tears in her eyes too, her hands were shaking as she forced the umbrella into moonbyul’s, before she kneeled down beside the younger girl, cupping her face in her hands, muttering words of apology over and over again. yongsun was looking at moonbyul all over, swiping away at the stray tears that were still leaking out, eyes full of regret, anxiety, and concern, and moonbyul in that very moment only thought of two sentences.  
“maybe things can be alright. maybe i haven’t lost my sun,” feeling something in her start to lighten. miraculously, the rain started to lessen as well.


	2. and

the rest of That Day flew by with tears and apologises filling the gaps of what was once a seemingly perfect relationship.

between the two, the incident was never spoken of again. the younger kept going for her classes, returning home to yongsun who would usually be preparing dinner. yongsun would spend the day writing - for what else does a writer do - and clean up the house whenever she got bored. eventually, they fell back into the routine they had prior.

moonbyul told no one of what had happened, and neither did yongsun, at least, of what she knew, and that was the way they kept it. it was almost as though if the two tried hard enough to pretend nothing happened, then maybe everything would just fall right back into place, back to what everyone was familiar with.

that was what moonbyul thought, at least, pretending that her mind would not randomly fly back to the memories of that day, pretending that her mind did not conjure up images of the woman she loved with someone that was anyone but her behind her closed eyelids.

she acted like her nights were not plagued with nightmares of the woman she loved with a faceless stranger in the midst of intimate acts. she would jolt awake in the middle of the night, hands clutched to her chest. she would be short of breath, panting slightly with tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

moonbyul felt a sense of emptiness, coupled with a strange fear. she felt like what they were doing was only going to be a temporary measure, taping up the broken shards of a ceramic mug with weak tape. 

these thoughts, the dreams, images, all angered her. she did not like that at all. she did not like the feeling of not trusting in yongsun’s feelings towards her. she was frustrated with herself. the girl found herself touching the couple necklace she shared with the older girl that she wore daily. she constantly looked around the house to see traces of the other girl’s love for her, desperately reaching for any kind of reassurance she could get. the pictures in their frames on the shelves, the clothing they ended up sharing, even the cards moonbyul still keeps from their honeymoon phase, which yongsun wrote and gave after every single date, for a whole 5 months. anything.

despite the ‘normalcy’ the couple had settled into, their relationship was somehow filled with tension in the gaps of silences that would overcome them, as though a colourless and odourless gas that was denser than the normal air had seeped into the apartment. what was once a cheery and light apartment filled with the sounds of laughter was now thick and heavy.

//

the elephant in the room was getting increasingly hard to ignore now, 2 weeks after That Day. moonbyul was finding herself suffocating amongst the uncertainty of where the couple was heading. she knew something had to be done, but she wasn’t sure where to start.

it was in the tiny things that moonbyul saw change. the way yongsun’s eyes would get shifty every time the younger entered a room, the dwindling of good morning texts and goodnight kisses, and the hesitance before the initiation of every touch.

moonbyul did not like this change, but she thinks that she would rather this than nothing at all.

//

another 2 more weeks marks one month since That Day. the couple was sitting in the living room, the older girl lying with her head in the lap of moonbyul. the two were silently watching whatever that was playing on tv, 2 bottles of soju sitting empty on the coffee table in front of them. moonbyul knew the other girl was very tipsy, but she herself was almost drunk too, having drank over two bottles worth of the alcohol. yongsun had barely taken 5 shots, but her intolerance shining through, them drinking on an empty stomach not helping either of them too.

//

yongsun had suggested for the younger to get alcohol on the way back home from her classes, for the both of them to unwind after a particularly taxing week, filled with tests and project deadlines. what she did not expect was for the girl to already have been drinking when she texted, half a bottle in at the convenience store a block away from the shared apartment.

the younger girl had stumbled back after finishing that bottle, not bothering to reply the older girl’s message, with 2 more bottles of the bitter substance in a plastic bag she was dangerously swinging around.

she fell into her girlfriend’s arms the moment the door opened, having been too lazy to find the keys that were somewhere inside the dark hole of her bag, resulting in her repeatedly abusing their doorbell. “babyyyyyy, i’m not sober, heh,” she said, a lazy smile drawing across her face as she was helped into the apartment to the couch, where she plopped down with a huff.

“i can tell. what a sight you must’ve been, probably tripping over your feet on your way home, drunk at 4 in the afternoon huh?”

“nooooo? what do you mean? this is normmaalll. anywaysss let’s drink more!” moonbyul drew out the last syllable of her words, before her voice rose at the end in excitement, and she propped herself up, her eyes lighting up when yongsun took the bag from her, and took out the green bottles to put them on the table.

“don’t want a bite first? did you eat before you started drinking byul?

to which she shook her head, popping the p at the end of the “nope” she let out, adding on a “don’t need,” with a childlike pout and a fervent shake of the head.

“okok you big baby, wait here, i’ll get the shot glasses. be a dear and turn on the tv okay? the remote is beside you. i’ll be right back,” yongsun said, standing up and walking away, her voice getting softer as she disappeared into the kitchen, not seeing moonbyul’s nod.

1 hour flew by and shot by shot, the both of them finished the bitter liquid, the afterburn lingering in their throats. moonbyul could feel the older girl’s steady breathing, and how she would hum in response to the characters in the movie that was playing. she herself was absent-mindedly playing with yongsun’s hair, not really focusing on the movie, her mind blank.

eventually the ending credits started rolling, and she felt the older girl shift in her lap, turning so she was facing her girlfriend.

moonbyul had always liked yongsun’s lips, them being the first feature she actually noticed about the older girl the first time she laid eyes on her.

she had seen her future girlfriend - at the time - talking and laughing, walking by moonbyul with her group of friends, in her first year of university. thus, it was not surprising that her eyes tend to focus in on them, although she did get laughed at and teased by the older girl because of it.

it was no different this time, moonbyul’s eyes going straight to yongsun’s lips, and yongsun sensed it too. the air around them grew thick and tense, moonbyul feeling yongsun’s eyes trail down to her lips too.

yongsun got up, her eyes not leaving moonbyul’s lips, leaning in to place a quick kiss on moonbyul’s lips. she pulled away. call it the alcohol talking but moonbyul reached out and gently held yongsun’s chin between her index finger and thumb, pulling the older girl closer and connecting their lips again, moving past the chaste kisses and short hugs that plagued their relationship over the last month.

it was familiarity and comfort that struck moonbyul first, as yongsun habitually bit softly on moonbyul’s lips, tugging on it gently before she would release it, licking it and sucking it afterwards. just like the old times, the times moonbyul missed.

that was when moonbyul’s hazy mind jumped back to That Day, the image of yongsun in bed with the stranger, hands wandering, lips connected, almost just as the couple was now, and moonbyul pushed yongsun away. the kiss had gotten heated, leaving the two of them panting slightly, as yongsun looked at her in confusion.

“byul? what’s wrong? did i do something?”

“… do you not feel it? or are you choosing to ignore it?” moonbyul asked, gulping as she waited in anticipation for the older girl’s answer.

“feel what? the sexual tension? well… obviously, i’m not ignoring it, am i?” yongsun replied, a cheeky smile appearing on her face, but dropping when she saw moonbyul’s expression hardening.

“we’ve put off this conversation for a whole month, this would come eventually you know,” moonbyul said, her voice deep and tone serious. she was not fully sober, but something told her she needed the alcohol to muster up the courage for this conversation neither of them were ready for. 

//

moonbyul had tears streaming down her cheeks, her vision blurry as she left the apartment, a duffel bag in her hands. whimpers escaped her lips every now and then as she went down in the elevator.

she remembered how yongsun was sobbing on the foor, choking over her cries, begging the younger girl to not leave. she remembered the overwhelming urge to drop her bag and hold the girl in her arms, apologising for the hurt she had just caused, and wipe her tears away. she remembered the way the girl held onto her ankle, grip weak from how hard she was crying, trying to not let the girl slip away from her grasp.

when she reached the ground level, she stood by the entrance of the apartment complex, looking out to the rain falling as constantly as the tears that were flowing. she knew that the moment she stepped out of this apartment complex, her life could never go back to the way it was.

she hiccupped occasionally as she sucked in a breath, before she stepped out, bracing the rain, and walked forward. her tears mixed with the rain droplets, each deliberate step putting more distance between herself and the life she knew and loved.

//

the university student would spend the next few weeks couch-surfing, job-hunting, and drinking. she barely turned up for classes, spending most of her time at convenience stores, green bottles and bowls of ramyun being her staple meals for the coming days, as she scrolled through job offerings on her phone.

she had spent majority of this time at the house of her friends’, wheein and hyejin, who were also friends with yongsun. they had heard of the couple’s breakup, and instantly opened up their place to the older girl, knowing that she had nowhere else to go in seoul, her parents staying in bucheon.

this was a few days after the breakup, stumbling upon the distraught girl on campus, walking by without noticing the couple despite the numerous attempts at trying to catch her attraction. they had instantly sensed that something was off – even finals week never seemed to stress out the girl too, too much, not to this extent – so what could have possibly happened?

the news came as a huge shock to the younger girls, no one really expected the dream couple to break up, but moonbyul explained that she was hesitant to approach anyone about the troubles they were facing pre-breakup, that she did not want the girls to view yongsun differently. she wanted to keep it under wraps because she had hoped that things would go back to normal, and she did not want to tell them after, because… what if they wanted to try again? where would that leave them? what would others say about them, about her, about yongsun?

to moonbyul, it was just easier to keep her mouth shut.

the young couple understood where moonbyul was coming from for sure, but that did not stop them from chastising her like a small girl, before they brought her back to the apartment and fussed over her, making sure to cook her a nice warm meal, something she haven’t had in a good couple days.

still, she spent most of her time after temporarily moving in with the 2 girls outside of the apartment. she was trying to find a job while drinking cheap alcohol and unhealthy meals, trying to make herself as absent from the apartment as possible. she felt increasingly guilty, and although she knew that neither wheein nor hyejin were uncomfortable with her there, she felt like she was overstaying her welcome.

it also did not help that when the 2 girls found out about the breakup, and after helping moonbyul settle in, hyejin had gone over to moonbyul’s previous home – moonbyul overheard the couple’s whispers from the kitchen – and she felt like she was making them choose sides, when she was not trying to at all. of course the girls would be worried about yongsun, after all, she was always known to be the more emotional one in the relationship.

it was not like the older girl did not have any savings, she just wanted enough to not have to live paycheck by paycheck, wanting to have at least some money to keep in case of rainy days.

luckily for the girl, she had found a job at an amusement park slightly out of the city, as a park attendant, that paid a fair amount on a weekly basis. it was perfect, not too taxing, except that travelling took too much of her time.

the 2 young girls had protested when she broke the news about the job, insisting that she was welcomed in the apartment for as long as she needed, and that they would rather have her focus on school and getting herself back together first before even considering about moving out. she had reassured them that she was fine, and if anything, the job would provide her a good outlet and distraction from what had happened. adding on with a wink and a cheeky grin, she revealed that she knew the two would rather have their own private time instead, causing them to let out an ugly screech at the older girl scampering into the kitchen with a laugh.

//

it was moonbyul’s first day at the amusement park, and 2 hours prior, her phone had been rudely buzzing beside her face in its attempt to draw her out of her slumber. she had stumbled through the still dark apartment, attempting to be as silent as possible to avoid waking the other girls up. it was truly an ungodly hour for college kids to wake up, stranger than to be have been awake, for all-nighters were a common thing for them.

yawning again for the nth time that morning, moonbyul drowsily made her way to the bus stop after leaving the apartment, the world still covered in a slight fog, the late September air turning slightly colder as autumn drew near. it was barely 6am, the sky, like moonbyul, was still trying its best to wake up and start the day fresh.

she dozed off more several times in the bus, almost missing her stop, when her head jolted up, body rising before her brain could even comprehend the situation. her hand reached out to ring the bell to alert the bus driver that she wanted to get off, right as the bus was about to pull away from the curb.

she leapt off the bus, shouting a quick “sorry!” behind her, as the bus drove off, before she took off in the direction of the amusement park entrance.

//

amusement parks were something else completely empty, early in the day, moonbyul realised as she was led by her supervisor through the numerous attractions and rides. she imagined how in a couple of hours there would be tens of hundreds of kids, and even more adults running around the same paths she was now walking on, hearts full of anticipation and excitement, laughter and cheer filling the air. it was a stark contrast to the empty venue she was in now, barely anyone wandering around, only a handful of park cleaners and food vendors beginning to prepare for business.

her supervisor was a kind, slightly older woman, by the name of chorong, looking roughly to be around yongsun’s age, and moonbyul’s mind instantly thought of how much yongsun would like this woman, probably saying that she ‘enjoyed the energy radiating off chorong’ and probably how they could definitely ‘vibe together’.

the girl’s mood had died a little when her mind started straying to her ex-girlfriend, and she was trying to distract herself but somehow missed the bunny mascot that was making their way in the 2 girls’ direction, even though chorong had been trying to call out her name for awhile now.

the two bumped into each other, the force of the interaction causing moonbyul to take a few steps back, while the weight of the bunny’s head seemed to throw the mascot off-balance, making her fall over and the bunny head falling off, rolling a little to the side.

“oh my gosh, i’m so sorry!” moonbyul gasped, racing forward to grab the bunny’s head, before she turned to the mascot herself, where chorong was helping the said girl up.

“irene! i told you to be careful when you wear your mascot, are you okay?” she asked, when mascot, or irene in this case, turned back to moonbyul.

“yeah, i’m sorry chorong… i’m clumsy-“

the words irene were saying in her soft, mellow voice faded to become background noise as moonbyul froze in her spot, completely in shock by the beauty of the girl in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo update! hehe... sorry about all the angst, i promise it gets better from here on out! i think my three-shot will become a four-shot because chapter 3 really became toooooo long (it's really me being vERY self-indulgent tbh) i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i will see you in the next! 


	3. found

moonbyul enjoyed her job, and she quickly made friends at work. she did not really do much, only really operating the children’s carousel, and keeping it maintained. she took joy in seeing the smiles on children’s faces, at the tiny human beings bouncing up and down in excitement in the arms of their parents, and she would very often be seen with a fond expression on her face.

during her breaks, moonbyul often hung out in the breakroom with her coworkers, having gotten close to 2 in particular.

chorong was her supervisor, keeping a close eye on the younger girl for the first couple of days to make sure everything would be okay, before she left moonbyul to her devices. chorong would occasionally check in on moonbyul even after leaving her be, bringing her small snacks an having small talk with her when there was no one waiting to ride the carousel.

bomi was chorong’s girlfriend, and she was working as a mascot in the amusement park, a hyperactive monkey that often elicited giggles from the children with her antics. the couple had met in high school, and have been together for multiple years already, and moonbyul has never met such a pair. bomi was such an extrovert, very warm and friendly and got along well with everyone, whereas chorong was not as outgoing, and oftentimes people met bomi before they met chorong, but moonbyul was not training to be a mascot, but a park attendant, and she just so happened to be assigned to chorong.

moonbyul hit it off instantly with bomi, surprisingly having many common topics with her, including the interest in dancing they both shared.

irene, the girl moonbyul had bumped into, was someone moonbyul constantly saw, but never approached, at least for the first few days. after the brief encounter the two had – moonbyul was shellshocked, too stunned by irene’s beauty to say anything – moonbyul had questioned chorong about who the mysterious girl was, and chorong had just briefly said that she was a shy person, keeping to herself more often than not, but that irene was a good and kind person, as far as anyone knew.

moonbyul was intrigued by the girl that she found out was a year older than her, which made her the same age as yongsun and chorong. she found herself trying to approach irene, making small talk whenever she would catch the older girl in the break room, bunny head in her arms, complimenting her hair or makeup. moonbyul does not know if she sees wrongly, but she believed the girl’s cheeks turn a little flushed as she hurries to leave the room.

she found herself drawn to this quiet girl, quite unlike any of her friends who usually made the initiative to get to know her. being put in a position where she had to be the person who took the lead, she was feeling very comfortable, something that the girl had not felt ever since her breakup. it almost seemed like this girl was cold to everyone, but moonbyul felt that there was something beneath the surface of this girl, and she felt compelled to dig that out.

//

another few weeks flew by as moonbyul found herself enjoying her job more and more, thoughts of her ex subsiding as smiles repeatedly bloomed on her face. she would like to believe it was the contagious joyful atmosphere of the amusement park that sparked this change in mood, but she knew deep down that it was the change in environment – both physical and social – that caused it.

she had gotten her first pay 2 weeks back, and in that time, found a quaint apartment slightly off campus with rent that was within her budget of her pay and the savings she had from before, sufficient for at least the next 3 months, and a reasonable size for 1 person to stay in. moving in the very next day after signing the contract, she managed to find a new routine faster than she expected.

she loved wheein and hyejin, and appreciated all they had done for her after the breakup, but a part of her was constantly reminded of yongsun being around them, and the new job with her new colleagues, and now with her new apartment, she felt like she could start afresh, and everything would be a breath of fresh air.

of course, not all days were good, as moonbyul would occasionally find herself waking up in her bed, head pounding, with nothing but a few bottles of alcohol on her bedside table and the open balcony door, the faint smell of cigarettes lingering in the air to give her a clue to what had happened the night before.

those were usually the worst days. she only turned to smoking only when her hands were itching to pull out her phone to send a text, or a call to yongsun, with no one to stop her. the cigarettes were her coping tools, occupying the space in her hand that she wished would have her phone in it instead. she was ashamed of this habit, usually remembering how yongsun would chastise her whenever she would come home, or what used to be of it, after a bad submission or theory test, with the smell of perfume being overly potent to cover up the smell of potential smoke.

sure, those were the bad days, but as mentioned, her days were getting significantly better. she would wake up, refreshed and ready to start her day, a spring in her every step as she leapt out of bed, and those were the days she preferred.

she looked forward to going into work, waving to cute children and enthusiastic parents, and gossiping about amusement park events with her co-workers.

//

moonbyul and irene had gotten significantly closer, something chorong and bomi had been surprised at numerous times, especially when moonbyul one day tells the girls about a funny text she had received from the older girl the night before.

they explained that no one had ever gotten casual texts from the ice rabbit – the nickname she had acquired weeks into getting the mascot job due to her almost aloof personality – much less know about the humour she held. for some strange reason, moonbyul felt a sense of pride, happy that she had somehow managed to melt irene’s walls slightly, and got to know her on a level others did not.

that night, she tells irene how grateful she is to have irene talk to her and joke around with her, and irene shocks her when she tells moonbyul to call her joohyun, right when they were about to sleep - for time zoomed when they talked and it was nearing 2am. irene, or joohyun, (moonbyul was still trying to adjust) clarified that irene was the name given to her by her friends when she had moved to Canada for a couple years in middle school, and it was the name she went by in professional settings such as work.

moonbyul’s heart warmed at the thought of joohyun considering her as a friend even outside of work, and something in her was filled with nerves when she sent her last goodnight text, ‘goodnight and sweet dreams joohyun’, before she put her phone to charge on the bedside table.

she laid back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling in darkness, a soft smile playing on her face as she mumbled to herself, “joohyun huh? it suits her, personality and all,” drifting off to dreamland right as the last few words floated out of her mouth.

//

wheein and hyejin had been bugging her to take them to her workplace for a fun day out ever since they heard about where she worked at, and she always had managed to successfully weasel her way out each time. it was clear by now that the reason for not bringing them there was not because she did not like her job, or that she was embarrassed by it, to be exact, it was the exact opposite.

she loved her job, and she liked how it was a breath of fresh air from all the recent thunderstorms life had decided to rain upon her. she was scared that by binding the two worlds, even this world she had grown to love and sought comfort in would be thrown into disarray, when the sun had only barely begun to peek through the clouds for her.

it had been over half a year at this point, 8 months to be exact, and moonbyul had decided that she had dragged the inevitable out for too long, after being bombarded by a series of messages in the group they had.

the messages were drawn out texts of wheein whining to hyejin about how much fun an amusement park outing would be during the boring summer they were having – _how subtle,_ moonbyul thought to herself, a snicker escaping. hyejin was trying to be supportive, and to be honest, it was just funny for the girl. she had already decided on bringing the girls, but it was fun to watch the two younger girls struggle for a bit.

she finally ended their futile attempts with a video call, telling them about her plans, and getting an excited squeal from the puppy and an exasperated sigh from hyejin – “couldn’t you have said this earlier byul? i had to deal with her whining for 2 whole months”. hyejin’s words stung, making moonbyul chuckle and mumble a half-hearted apology, using the excuse that wheein was her girlfriend, it would be normal for her to deal with wheein’s whining anyway. they set a date and time, and moonbyul sucked in a deep breath after ending the call, unable to stop the compulsive thoughts of what might the outing bring.

//

the day of the outing had come, and moonbyul was feeling slightly nervous. this was the first time moonbyul was going to the amusement park as a guest, ever since she had started working there. she was decked out in a white graphic tee and a pair of washed out jeans, along with some white sneakers, waiting idly at the bus stop near the amusement park for the 2 younger girls.

it did not take long for them to arrive, wheein skipping around in her denim overalls, with her arm hooked around her girlfriend’s arm, dragging the other girl around. no one could resist not smiling from the puppy’s contagious positivity and moonbyul was no exception. a grin bloomed on her face and soon enough, all three of them were hand in hand, walking down the path to the place moonbyul had gotten oh-so familiar with.

the three quickly purchased a ticket at the ticket booth – moonbyul proudly flashing her staff identity card for the staff discount - and entered the park. pulling her girlfriend by the arm, wheein bolted straight in the direction of the haunted house, “let’s go let’s go let’s go!” she repeated, excitement evident in her voice.

//

the day was coming to an end, the sky turning into a dark navy shade as the sun started to set. the trio was wandering around the park now, just having come from seeing chorong and bomi off. the two were done with their shift for the day early and were going off for a short date together. moonbyul did not know why it was a surprise to the 4 of her friends getting along, as most of them were outgoing, and easy to get along with. she was starting to think that things would not be that bad.

moonbyul was walking backwards, facing the girls, which was something she did often. they were deep in discussion on what to do after they were done at the park.

“moonbyul! behind yo-”

“oof!”

wheein’s cry was too late, for moonbyul felt her back hitting someone hard, till she was stumbling forwards from the impact. the person she had hit sounded to have fallen to the floor, and when moonbyul turned back to apologise, she felt a sense of déjà vu.

on the floor was irene, her rabbit head having tumbled off once again, but this time she had a child in her arms whose eyes were wide open, mouth agape out of shock. moonbyul looked a little to the right, to which was a short line of children and parents, all in the same shocked stupor as the children in irene’s arms.

irene stood up with speed and agility, hoisting the child she managed to protect (moonbyul had bumped into the child and not irene you see) and making sure that they were okay. the children that were queueing looked over to the bunny mascot, now without her head, and a few of the younger ones started to cry.

“oh no, i’m sorry irene, i wasn’t looking at where i was going. hey bud, you alright over there?” moonbyul bent down, making eyelevel with the boy, who gave a firm nod before cheekily smiling.

“wow, miss bunny is so pretty even without the mask!”

 _he can’t possibly be trying to flirt with joohyun right? this kid looks no older than 10 for crying out loud!_ moonbyul let out a quiet groan, as the 2 girls who were behind her went to comfort the other kids in the queue. she gave the kid a forced smile, and a pat on the head, before walking away from irene and the boy, to where the bunny head was, abandoned on the sidewalk.

the girl picked up the bunny head, sighing to herself, thinking, _i know she’s pretty, everyone does, so why does it bother me…_

“-byul! earth to moonbyul!” the girl’s head snapped up, turning to the source of the sound, where wheein and hyejin was standing with the bunny, all the kids and parents gone. she walked over to them and handed over the missing piece of irene’s costume to the older girl, apologising once more.

“no, don’t worry, byul…”

“is something wrong joohyun…?”

it was unlike the girl to be this quiet around moonbyul, at least now, not when the older girl had warmed up to her and grown to be more talkative. it was when she noticed the soundless motions 2 girls happened to be making beside irene. _oh…_

“hey irene, meet wheein, and her girlfriend hyejin, they’re my friends!” at the sound of their names, each of the girls smiled at the former. she saw how irene peeked up at the word ‘girlfriend’ and the little smile that tried to make its way on her face.

//

the sound of chatter and laughter, along with glasses clinking, was loud in the restaurant, with the smell of meat cooking on the barbeque would have made anyone’s mouth salivate. irene, moonbyul, wheein and hyejin were seated around a table, the grill popping off as servings of meat were being churned out.

after the incident, and introductions were over, wheein and hyejin had proposed that irene join them for dinner, saying that they would wait for her shift to end outside the amusement park. moonbyul had wished that the girl would say yes, but pegged no expectations on it, so it came to her surprise when the girl slowly nodded her head, shyly smiling. moonbyul’s heart melted a little at that sight, her eyes turning into crescents as her lips curled up.

a couple hours later, there they were, eating meat and chatting with just a couple of green bottles scattered on the table. there was small talk going around, wheein and hyejin being naturally sociable, and knowing which questions to ask without making irene feel uncomfortable or put on the spot.

“irene!” wheein started “you’re sooooo pretty you know? no wonder moonbyul talks about you so much,” causing the girl in question to flush a shade of red.

“she talks about me? what has she said? and, no, she’s so much cooler!”

“oh! well, she just said-“

“i! just said that you’re a very nice girl that i enjoy working with, right wheein?” moonbyul interjected, shooting a sharp glare to the younger girl.

“oh, yeahhhh definitely! she also constantly gushes about your beauty, and how your smiles light up her day and that your voice is the highlight of her shifts and-”

“hyejin!”

by this time, moonbyul’s cheeks were on fire, as the other 3 girls burst into laughter. she picked up her shot of soju and downed it, feeling the bitter liquid burn her throat a little before placing it back down on the table, albeit probably a lot stronger than necessary.

//

it was only at the end of the day, when everyone was home and moonbyul was in bed, exchanging her routine goodnight texts with the extremely fitting bunny-like girl did hyejin’s words back at the restaraunt float back into her mind. _did i really talk about joohyun like that? it makes me sound like i like he- shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was honestly just me being self-indulgent in my moonrene agenda, and I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger ksjdhfksjhfk you can follow me on my twt and cc (under the same user) if you want to find me! kudos and comments are very much appreciated if you could leave some!


	4. her

moonbyul was not able to sleep a wink after having come to that conclusion. she kept tossing and turning in bed, finally giving up and just lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

she looked over to her left, the big red ‘0347’ glaring at her, as though taunting her about her lack of sleep. she tried to close her eyes, but all that kept popping up was that image of joohyun sitting on the floor after she had bumped into her, hair tousled and a confused expression on her face. even when the careless girl got bits of sauce on the side of her lips that moonbyul would tease her for, and when joohyun would fall asleep in the break room, her hair falling all over her face, moonbyul saw nothing but beauty in the girl’s most candid moments.

joohyun did not have to try to be pretty, she just naturally was.

moonbyul got startled and sat up, placing a hand over her chest only to find her heart racing at twice the speed. _i can’t like her. not when…_ she trailed off. it was a pathetic attempt at convincing herself, even she would have to admit that.

moonbyul could not like her. not when she knows that deep down, she had not fully accepted the breakup that happened way too long back. a part of her still missed and loved yongsun, and an even tinier part still believes that they are still meant to be. she had gotten used to the older girl’s presence and expression of love that the past few months of living alone in her apartment felt so lonely.

they were _that_ couple. the university’s dream couple that everyone who knew, knew.

but now yongsun was just a sun shaped hole in moonbyul’s heart that nothing seemed to be able to fill.

moonbyul let out a loud groan, frustrated at the times she cannot seem to shake off and stop its effects on. she flopped back onto her back, mindlessly staring ahead of her into nothing but darkness wondering just how messed up her life was. she never asked to fall for joohyun, much less when she was still not fully over her ex.

//

“woah, what happened to you? late night out with the couple?” chorong said upon seeing moonbyul rush through the doors of the breakroom.

the poor girl ended up falling asleep 30 minutes before her alarm rang, and slept through it, only waking up 10 minutes before she had to leave for work. she had rushed out of the house, resulting in her hair being messily combed through only with her fingers, and her barely noticeable socks were of different colours not to mention her eyes were seconds from closing shut.

she glanced at the older girl and muttered a quick, “couldn’t sleep,” continuing to rummage through her locker before she pulled out her khaki uniform to change into.

“welp, i’m about to head out, i’ll come check up on you and probably bring you food in a couple hours okay? hang in there byul!” chorong said and tossed a breakfast bar from her bag onto the bench behind the girl before stalking out the door.

moonbyul yelled a quick “see you and thank you!” and hurried into the changing rooms, pulling off her clothes in a hurry, not bothering to lock the door since there was no one in the breakroom anyway. or so she thought.

she was struggling with the top of her uniform stuck on her head when she heard a meek “um… byul?” coming from outside. moonbyul froze, and then unfroze to quickly pull the top over her head.

joohyun was standing outside the cubicle moonbyul was using, the door somehow having opened by itself since it was not locked. it was joohyun’s red cheeks and wide eyes, mouth slightly open, that told moonbyul that joohyun had seen something she was not expecting. _shit, she saw me in my bra._ moonbyul’s own cheeks flushed a similar shade of the older girl, having found herself caught in a somewhat compromising situation.

“the park’s filled with kids today, you better get out there fast byul,” joohyun rushed out, turning around and walking into the cubicle beside moonbyul’s, holding her bunny mascot outfit.

“uhhh yeahhh…”

moonbyul shut the door to her cubicle, and making sure it was locked this time, proceeded to strip her jeans she had worn.

“wait, joohyun, i thought today was your off day?” moonbyul said over the wall, trying to fill up the awkward silence that ensued after _that._

“oh jisoo called in sick, and bossman told me to step in for her this morning.”

“ahh, such a hard worker, getting all that money huh?”

“nooo, it’s just the children love the bunny, and many of them come here for the bunny, i couldn’t possibly rob them of that just for me to rest today.”

the park attendant felt her heart melt hearing those words from the other girl, thinking that it was no surprise why she had fallen for the other girl, before she caught herself. she shook her head to clear those thoughts, and after changing, stepped out.

//

it was a couple of days later of locking herself in her house and only leaving for work, along with less frequent replies to joohyun did moonbyul realise that she was being absolutely pathetic. she thought about her cowardice in running away from the whole situation, and felt an overwhelming urge to change it.

… but maybe she could have one last day of doing nothing with her life and be okay with that.

she swung her legs over the edge of the bed – yes, she was still in bed, being pathetic does that to people – and stood up, stretching her hands up and letting out a big yawn.

 _i should get food… the fridge is empty… convenience store it is!_ she concluded, walking into her closet and picking out at least something presentable to wear.

to her surprise, when she swung open her front door to leave her apartment, someone was standing on the other side, hand raised in the motion of knocking on the door.

“joohyun?”

“byul… going somewhere?”

“ah yeah… i was going to the convenience store downstairs, i ran out of food and drinks.”

“oh, can i come with you?”

“umm sure, why not.”

the two of them silently made their way to the convenience store, each occasionally stealing glances at each other but both not willing to speak up about the numerous thoughts running through their minds.

“why-!”

“byul!”

they both started talking at the same time, only to stop after the first word, repeatedly signalling for the other to go first, until moonbyul gave in.

“why were you outside my house?” she asked, causing the older girl to look down, smile slightly gone.

she explained that she noticed a change in the younger girl, how moonbyul seemed to be avoiding her, and she even noticed how her responses seemed less warm, apart from being less frequent – moonbyul did not even realise this until then – so joohyun wanted to come check up on moonbyul, after asking wheein for her address.

moonbyul was caught off-guard, not expecting joohyun to pay this much attention to her, noticing things moonbyul was not even conscious of. “o-oh… um thank you for your concern, but i’ll be fine! just some stuff cropped up, but i’ll sort it out soon and be back to normal.”

joohyun gave a firm nod of the head, a serious look on her face before a small smile grew to show her support for the younger girl’s determination.

by this time, they had reached the convenience store and moonbyul being the gentlewoman that she was, held open the door for joohyun, before stepping into the store herself. she invited joohyun to stay at her place for a while - seeing that she had travelled all the way to talk to moonbyul - and told her to pick out some food and drinks for them to have at her apartment.

a couple of minutes later, the two stepped out of the store, a couple of bags filled with ramyun, biscuits and chips, and a few bottles of drinks in hand.

//

the sky outside moonbyul’s apartment was now dark and the moon was peeking out from behind the clouds as the house owner bid farewell to joohyun at her doorway, giving her a tiny hug and a grin, watching the older girl walk to the lift lobby and only closing the door when the girl disappeared behind the lift doors.

they had spent several hours chatting over movies, having ramyun for dinner.

(“i really don’t mind byul, i bought all the ingredients for my special ramyun recipe that you might want to try?” joohyun said, when moonbyul offered to order chinese take out for them both)

they had really enjoyed themselves, from what moonbyul could tell at least, by the looks of the persistent presence of the beautiful smile on joohyun’s face. she occasionally found herself just admiring the other’s facial features, wondering how there could be someone as pretty as the other girl sitting in her apartment right then. the pearls of laughter that escaped from joohyun’s lips sounded like music to her ears, and moonbyul kept trying to hear it over and over again.

so when the girl was left to a now empty apartment, hints of the fun time they just had now left as the empty ramyun pot on her table and the television now rolling credits of the last movie that played, moonbyul found loneliness hitting her especially hard. she leaned her back against the door she had just closed and slid herself down to the ground and just sat in the doorway. she thought about how the last few hours seemed to just fly by, just as how they did whenever she was texting joohyun.

the loneliness was accompanied by something, a strange fierce feeling of wanting to settle the dilemma she felt from the whole breakup till now. thus, she stood up, walking to her room after grabbing her phone that was on the table, firing a quick text to wheein and hyejin. ‘yongsun still lives at my old apartment, right?’

//

standing in front of this very door had never been this daunting. moonbyul’s palms were clammy with perspiration, legs were trembling in their place and her stomach churned at the thought of what she was about to do. her arm seemed to be as heavy as lead, but she forced herself to pull it up and finally, gave the door 3 sharp knocks. she heard no movement from inside the house, and knocked again, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

‘the password is still the same, let yourself in. i’m in the bedroom.’

she did as the text told and stepping into the apartment felt like she was entering a time machine. from keying in their anniversary date into the keypad to walking into the apartment where it seemed like time stopped flowing since the day she left. _maybe i’m not the only who’s stuck in the past._ she walked past the living room and the kitchen into the hallway of the rooms, stopping in front of the room all the way at the end. she lifted her hand to the doorknob, but hesitated, taking in a deep breath before grabbing onto and turning it, pushing the door inwards.

inside, she saw yongsun sitting at their – or her – desk by the window, furiously typing away at her laptop, phone unlocked on their chat by the side. _she must be late for another draft submission again,_ moonbyul thought to herself, before she quietly announced her presence, deciding to sit down on the side of the bed, causing it to sink down from her weight, and wait for the older girl.

(she knows yongsun well enough to know that even a fire will not stop her from pausing her writing mid-paragraph. every attempt in the past, no matter how much whining, that normally would work, bribery of ddeokbokki, and even an offering of a bunch of kisses never seemed to deter the older girl from focusing on the screen in front of her, fingers moving so fast, you would wonder how she was typing everything accurately.)

 _maybe that was why she was so good in be- what am i thinking. she is my ex for god’s sake._ moonbyul got pulled out of her very inappropriate thoughts when yongsun finally turned around, flashing the very smile that moonbyul fell for. moonbyul expected her heart to skip a beat, but to her surprise, she felt nothing.

“hey, what’s up byul? i heard from the girls that you were coming but they didn’t explain why.”

now that moonbyul was sitting there, with her ex in front of her, she did not know what to say. she knew that she wanted some sort of closure, but she did not know how. they sat there, silence taking over the room, yongsun still looking curiously at moonbyul, while moonbyul just stared at the carpet that covered the floor.

“… byul?”

“i… um…” moonbyul trailed off, hearing the start of rain falling against the window outside.

_pitter patter pitter patter_

“you aren’t doing fine, and so am i. i think we both need some closure,” moonbyul said, a tone of finality in her voice. it seems she struck a chord in yongsun because she could visibly see the girl in front of her freeze up.

“how…”

“nothing in the apartment has changed, the pictures of us are still on the fridge, on the wall, on that freaking desk right there that you sit at daily. heck, i’m hoping you washed this bedsheet since that day, because it’s the same one as the day i left, and coincidentally the one you were about to have sex with that other girl with. you can’t possibly be okay.”

with every word that moonbyul let come out of her mouth, she saw the girl’s shoulders drooping, and the defeat slowly clouding over her eyes. but moonbyul did not stop. something told her they both needed to hear this, so she kept going, pointing out things that jumped out at moonbyul that told her yongsun was not okay. by the time she was done, yongsun was no longer looking at the younger, head dropped as tears silently fell from them.

that was the first time ever since That Day that they shared an honest conversation with one another. they bore their heart to each other, expressing emotions and reminiscing on the course of their relationship, the good and bad parts. Both ending up shedding tears and sitting on the floor, in each other’s arms, the heavy sense of responsibility of how their relationship went down being lifted simultaneously for them both. it felt like the self-blame for both parties were being addressed and clarified, bringing them both to a stage of closure and peace.

despite moonbyul leaving the apartment with the conclusion of both agreeing to stay away from each other for the time being, moonbyul was sure that they would end up meeting again, somehow somewhere. they were soulmates, it just so happened that it was not in the romantic aspect.

when she got out, the sun was yet again shining in the sky, the remnant raindrops falling lightly with an amazing double rainbow stretching across the sky. she snapped a quick picture, before she stepped into the sunshine, sending it to joohyun with the caption, ‘i thought of you when i saw it, it’s comparable to your beauty’, and could not help wondering about how different she was feeling compared to the last time she was there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: i promise the next will be the last chapter,,, i needed to give moonsun closure, to let moonbyul move on without feeling guilt, so that was the objective before the grand (very fluffy) finale :D i hope you enjoyed and please leave a kudos or a comment bc they make me more motivated to finish the last chapter 


	5. bunny

there was a visible change in moonbyul over the course of the next few days. she smiled a lot more, her smiles wider and brighter, and the girl just seemed to glow a little. she walked with lightened steps, energy high and contagious. wheein and hyejin found out what had happened afterwards, and they were happy for the once-couple, both knowing it was the closure both parties deserved.

her coworkers bugged her about the change, claiming that they deserved to know what it was that made her so much happier, wanting it for themselves. she did not know how to tell them, sort of wanting to leave the whole relationship in the past, and not exactly wanting the looks of pity she felt she might get if she admitted that it was her facing the reality of a breakup months ago. they all eventually dropped the topic, after all, their friend was happier, no one was complaining.

more importantly, moonbyul never avoided joohyun anymore, coming back to work the very next day after the liberating conversation and greeting the older girl with a big hug.

(“i sorted it, and moonstar is back baby!” she yelled, throwing finger guns at joohyun after pulling away from her. joohyun blushed.)

their text conversations that made them burn the midnight oil restarted, even video-calling when moonbyul had assignments to do but wanted company, where they spent much time just basking in silence, enjoying the other’s presence.

occasionally, moonbyul would be so focused on her assignment that by the time she is done, she hears nothing but steady breathing and quiet snoring on the other line, smiling when she looks to see the older girl deep in dreamland – she might not admit this, but she always says “goodnight beautiful” before she hangs up and goes to bed herself.

//

by this point, another 3 weeks later, moonbyul has fully accepted that she had somehow fallen for joohyun, confident that it was not a temporary crush or a rebound from yongsun. she kept her comments to borderline flirtatious, slightly greasier than what she would say to any of her platonic friends, not wanting to make joohyun feel pressurised or uncomfortable.

she was not dumb, she had an inkling that her feelings were reciprocated, not that her friends were oblivious to the two either.

“you and irene huh?” bomi asked one day in the breakroom, wriggling her eyebrows, a mischievous tone to her voice. “don’t bother denying, even if there isn’t anything yet, there will be. anyone within a 100 metre radius can see it blossoming.”

moonbyul groaned, giving a small nod before dropping her head into her hands, looking at the ground.

“whatcha waiting for then?”

“i don’t know… she seems kind of, standoffish lately, don’t you think?”

“honey, she looks at you like you’re her safe space. we are her mere acquaintances, you of all people should know her.”

//

that conversation with bomi remained in her mind for the next couple of days, confident that she was not thinking too much into things. moonbyul was sure that something was off about the older girl, though she could not put her finger on what exactly. she ended up consulting wheein, hyejin and even chorong, and told them about her feelings for joohyun, slightly taken aback when they deadpanned her and told her that she could not have been obvious.

bomi and her couple friends told her to tell joohyun honestly, and that nothing would go wrong, while chorong did not really say not to, but warned her to be careful, in the case that joohyun did not reciprocate her feelings.

moonbyul decided to step up her game a little, flirting ever more so slightly, through texts more often, still making sure to keep an air of playfulness around joohyun. she enjoyed seeing or picturing how the older girl’s eyes would crinkle and disappear when she smiles, how her porcelain skin turns a shade redder around her cheeks and neck, and how she would try and hide herself behind a jacket or her bunny head if she was holding it.

she eventually started hanging out with joohyun a lot more, one on one, spending time in moonbyul’s apartment at first, having meals together and watching animated films together. they would cook together and laugh a lot at moonbyul’s beyond subpar cooking skills.

joohyun had suddenly texted moonbyul out of the blue one saturday – that was how most of their ‘hangouts’ were planned – asking if moonbyul wanted to go over to **her** place to chill at instead. it was not like moonbyul was going to reject her offer, so after reconfirming with the older girl that she was sure and comfortable with moonbyul coming over, she got out of bed, got decently dressed, and left her house.

//

when moonbyul stepped into the doorway of joohyun’s house, she looked around. (she was surprised by joohyun’s house, it was quite near the amusement park) it was exactly how she expected it to look like, quaint and minimalistic. the interior was in neutral tones, with pops of purple for the cushion covers on the couch, and as picture frames on bookshelves.

“welcome to my humble abode, feel free to look around and get comfortable byul. i’m almost done with lunch so you can look around the house then come into the kitchen okay?” joohyun said as she passed moonbyul a pair of home slippers, before she walked away into what moonbyul presumed to be the kitchen.

she absentmindedly put on the slippers, eyes looking everywhere but, too distracted by the house to pay attention, before she started to properly look around.

moonbyul could not resist cooing at the numerous pictures of smiling joohyun with her sister and parents, along with some of her friends moonbyul sort of recognised from the bedtime stories they would share, taken at different locations of the world. she ran her fingers down the spines of the many books on the bookshelves, amazed at how much of a wide reader the older girl was, some even being english books.

_must be from seungwan_ , moonbyul thought, remembering joohyun speak of her canadian friend who had since returned to the country of maple syrup.

“byul, help me set up the table? i’m almost done!” moonbyul heard joohyun shout, turning around to see the girl with her head peeking out from the side of the wall, one hand holding a spatula. she stepped away from the bookshelve, heading towards the kitchen to see multiple pots and pans on the stove with bowls littered around the countertop.

“just take those, and then the cutlery are in the…” moonbyul barely registered her words, but managed to follow through with the instructions she was being given. her eyes stayed watching joohyun work her magic in the kitchen, feeling in her element. she thought about how many people probably did not get to see joohyun like this, and how they felt almost, domestic. 

she enjoyed that day more than she would like to admit, she reckoned.

//

_i’m going to ask her out._

moonbyul comes to this startling conclusion at the start of december, when snow began to fall on the amusement park for the second time since she had started working.

_and i know exactly how i’m going to do it._

_//_

**moonbyul** [4:36pm]

hey hyun

just answer me with yes or no for the following question okay?

**hyun** [4:38pm]

huh?

sure i guess

what’s up?

**moonbyul** [4:39pm]

let’s go on a date tomorrow?

**moonbyul** [4:41pm]

… hyun?

oh no… i messed up didn’t i?

**hyun** [4:43pm]

oH no no i’m sorry

**moonbyul** [4:43pm]

i knew it… its okay… i understand…

**hyun** [4:44pm]

nO NO NO I MEANT YES

yes. let’s go on a date.

date. tomorrow.

**moonbyul** [4:44pm]

oh

oH :0

okie :)

tomorrow, 12pm, meet me outside the amusement park okay?

see you hyun :D

**hyun** [4:44pm]

see you byul :D

<3

//

rocking back and forth on her heels, moonbyul let out a breath, watching the hot air form a tiny cloud in front of her, trying to focus on that instead of her racing heart. her hands were fidgeting with her jacket zipper, constantly going up to her face to swipe purple hair out of her face. she pulled out her phone, and pulled up her chat with joohyun, where the chat was unchanged. she stared at the heart, a foolish smile tugging at her lips, thinking about how she might have squealed into her pillow. she thought that it might have been over ten times of her just pulling out her phone to see that heart ever since it was sent.

a chilly wind blew past, and moonbyul pulled her jacket closer together, huddling further into it. the sky was clear today, fluffy white cloud floating peacefully overhead, and apart from the occasional gust of wind, moonbyul loved the current weather. she let herself bask in the silence of the atmosphere around her, looking around absentmindedly. 

suddenly, the electronic device in her hands vibrated, causing her to snap out of the trance, to see the new message she had gotten from the very girl she had been thinking about.

**hyun** [11:56am]

hey byul

the bus isn’t here yet

i’ll be around 5-ish minutes late?

sorryyyyy

**byul** [11:57am]

oh okie!

no worries hyun :D

see you soon!

she hesitated, before sending one last text, pocketing her phone and letting out a puff, anxiously starting to rock on her heels again.

**byul** [11:59am]

<3

//

true to her words, joohyun ran up to her at 12:05pm (not that moonbyul was keeping track, definitely not), slightly out of breath, with something hidden behind her back. she stopped in front of the younger girl, bent over with her left hand on her hip, the other still hiding something very well as she struggled to catch her breath.

“h-hi… byul…”

moonbyul did not respond, stunned still by the woman in front of her. joohyun was draped in a thick and fluffy purple knitted sweater, under a long brown coat, along with denim skinny jeans and black low cut sneakers. the outfit was simple, but it showed off joohyun’s elegance, and made the older girl even more attractive than moonbyul ever thought she could be.

by the time moonbyul’s mind finally registered joohyun’s words, her right hand was up, waving awkwardly at her, and joohyun seemed to have caught her breath.

she stood up straight, and smiled shyly, pulling her right hand forward from behind her back, revealing a small bouquet of buttercups and baby’s breath wrapped in blue wrappingpaper. “this is why i was late… i picked this up and missed the bus getting here…”

moonbyul felt her cheeks grow warm, similar to how the older’s ones appeared to be reddening too, as she slowly took the bouquet from joohyun’s hands, letting their fingers brush against each other.

“they’re beautiful…” she said softly, looking at the flowers.

“buttercups mean you’re charming,” she heard, before joohyun continued, this time louder, “okay! so miss byul, where are we going on this _date?_ ” she asked, emphasising the last word.

looking up at this, her eyes flitted down to joohyun’s still outstretched hand, subtly sucking in a breath before bravely grabbing joohyun’s hand. she heard the older gasp, and a grin spread on her face.

“to the park!” she shouted, probably scaring a few passers-by, pulling joohyun in the direction of the amusement park.

//

to say that the day was magical was an understatement, at the very least. moonbyul found herself staring at the older girl a lot that day, also noticing the other girl stealing a few glances herself.

as cliché as it sounded, one of the last rides they found themselves on after a full day of rollercoasters and water rides, was the ferris wheel. the air in the pod was light and cheery, small jokes being made as they enjoyed the night view that this ride brought along with it. as the wheel came back to the starting place, moonbyul felt her palms getting sweaty and clammy.

“hyun, listen to me okay? when i count to 3, could you trust me and just keep your eyes closed for one minute?”

the girl seemed shocked at the sudden request, eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. nonetheless, she gave a hesitant nod, watching moonbyul look out of the pod for a quick second before counting, “1, 2, 3. count to 60 for me dear.”

moonbyul watched as joohyun closed her eyes, and the pod reaching the starting position of the ferris wheel, the door of the pod opening automatically. the attendant, and bomi, who had come to help, a wide smile on her face and presenting herself with a thumbs up, handed moonbyul the bouquet and notepad she had prepared earlier in the day. she had passed it to bomi at the entrance of the amusement park with the instructions an hour prior to meeting joohyun.

“i’m stepping off, so don’t freak out if you don’t see me okay hun?” see you in 15 minutes,” moonbyul called out, before stepping off the pod, briefly hearing joohyun say something as she watched the doors close.

_god i’m so nervous._

_//_

meanwhile, as soon as joohyun heard that moonbyul was leaving, despite her count being only at 37, shot open her eyes, only seeing the closed pod door and retreating body of the girl she had grown to love and cherish. her mind started to wander as it flashed to the possibility of her being abandoned before the date was even over. (it was not like it had not happened before) as her eyes darted across the room in panic, they finally landed on a medium sized bouquet and notepad on the bench opposite her.

she tried her utmost best to still her racing heart as she reached out to grab the notepad, hands trembling.

_it can’t be bad if there is a bouquet right…? but what if it’s an apologetic bouquet… i don’t know enough about flower language to tell what these flowers are and- oh._

her thoughts stopped short when she flipped open the notepad to the first page, where she saw a picture of herself in her bunny mascot costume along with the words, ‘remember how we met? your beauty stunned me, literally.’

_well i guess i was wrong._

she felt a smile making its way onto her face, and a chuckle escaped her lips as she flipped over to the next page, seeing a very big and aggressive ‘call me!!’ filling up both sides.

joohyun pulled out her phone but right as she clicked on moonbyul’s name to call her, an idea popped in her mind, remaining silent even after the call connected, a wicked grin appearing on her face.

“hello? i guess you’re on the second page huh? how is it?”

“… hello? hyun?”

the older girl, meanwhile, had her hand over her mouth, doing her best to stifle the sniggers threatening to escape. her ears perked up, hearing someone in the background tease moonbyul, saying, “you call irene hyun? that’s cute, first name, nickname basis huh?” (it strangely sounded like bomi… but she could not be sure)

wordlessly, she flipped the page, making sure the sound of the paper turning could be heard. she let out a gasp at what she saw, a beautiful drawing of the two of them, done in colour pencils, filling the page. she recognised the frozen picture instantly, it was of them on moonbyul’s sofa, watching movies the very first time she did a impromptu visit to check on the younger girl. the drawing was done in a simple style, but it was very heartfelt, and the words under the drawing just pulled on her heartstrings even more.

‘the day i started accepting that i was falling for you, even if i didn’t know it back then. you spurred me to be a better person, and i healed because of you.”

joohyun felt something rising within her, and before she knew it, her eyes were watering, but she blinked back her tears, flipping to the next page. a sniffle must have slipped out, for the next thing her ears picked up was moonbyul’s voice again. the other side of the line has been quiet for a while, after moonbyul turned to whoever she was with to shush them.

“hyun? you okay? what are you reading now?”

“… you probably don’t know it but i had just broken up when i fell over you my first day at the amusement park. your visit encouraged me to finally face what i had been avoiding, made me confront my fears.” joohyun drew a breath before she read what was on the page. the drawing that followed was of moonbyul and a girl she did not recognise, sitting on the floor of a bedroom, in an embrace, neither of their faces shown.

this explained why moonbyul was acting so out of character for that period. joohyun had been worried, having grown to care and concern for the younger girl over the course of the last few months. she was proud of the girl for being able to go through the final steps of her relationship,

the other line turned silent again, and joohyun flipped the page over once more, and the drawing made her heart skip a beat. it was a drawing of the very ferris wheel pod she was in, and she was sitting facing away from the front, looking at a sketchbook with a bouquet of flowers similar to the one beside her right now.

it made joohyun wonder how much time moonbyul had spent on this, and she soon realised that unlike the previous pages, this one had no words on it. she flipped through the remainder of the sketch book, which was empty

being engrossed in trying to look for the words that would accompany that last drawing, joohyun did not notice the door to the pod opening once again. at this point, another 15 minutes have passed and the ferris wheel had returned to its original position.

“i never actually planned to go one more round, but i didn’t have time to ask bomi to write the words for the last page-”

joohyun jolted in her seat at hearing moonbyul speak as she walked in, hand clasping at her heart, before turning to shoot a glare at the poor girl through watery eyes. moonbyul walked further into the pod, standing near joohyun as the door swung shut, for the third time.

“what the hell is this?” she drew out the last syllable, whining a little. she stretched out her arms towards moonbyul, who stepped into them. joohyun wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned in, resting her head against byul’s stomach, letting out a content sigh. the familiar scent of vanilla and hints of burnt wood that she now associated with moonbyul flooded her senses. when moonbyul laughed, she could feel the vibrations of her stomach against her face, and she hit moonbyul’s back with her hands, somewhat gently.

“why are you laughing? you’re a meanie, what was the last page supposed to say,” joohyun pouted, talking into moonbyul’s shirt, voice muffled.

moonbyul rested her own arms on joohyun’s shoulders, petting joohyun’s head affectionately and combing through her hair.

“i was just going to ask if you’d do the honours of being my girlfriend, cutie.”

instead of a proper response though, moonbyul just heard joohyun giggling a little, before she felt her pull away, and moonbyul looked down to see a beaming joohyun, all traces of her being upset mere seconds ago vanished.

“that’s all i wanted to hear,” joohyun let out, before pulling moonbyul down by her jacket, capturing her lips in a sweet short kiss.

//

bomi, meanwhile, was waiting anxiously at the bottom of the ferris wheel. it was seconds before the pod that contained the (hopefully by now) couple, would return.

upon first look, nothing seemed to have changed between the 2 when they stepped off, but they were holding hands, and irene was almost smirking, while moonbyul looked a little dishevelled and dazed. irene was holding onto the bouquet and sketchbook in one hand, and the other hand was clasped tightly in moonbyul’s own hands. bomi secretly let out a sigh of relief, glad that everything seemed to be alright, though it was not an unexpected outcome in the first place. The two walked up to her, and moonbyul flashed a grateful smile at bomi, as irene opened her mouth to say, “this idiot is so useless huh? thanks for all the help bbom, i heard about all you helped her with and it wouldn’t have been possible without you,” when moonbyul turned to irene and releasing their clasped hands, hit the older girl on the shoulder.

“hey, we’re gonna go back to my place now, thanks again for the help bomi!” moonbyul said, pulling irene away. She heard moonbyul letting out a gap as they started walking away.

“oh, i’ve got to collect the bouquet you bought me from our lockers, hyun, can we go there first?” to which irene had beamed, and nodded her head ferverently.

“have fun and stay safe you two!” bomi shouted to their fading figures, letting out a laugh at how cute the new couple was. they kind of reminded bomi of her and chorong, and she had a good feeling about them. 

//

moonbyul thinks she is the luckiest girl in the world. it has been 3 months since the ferris wheel confession, and moonbyul was genuinely the happiest she had been in over a year. joohyun was such a sweetheart and she was so understanding.

the last 3 months flew by, and this relationship was unlike anything moonbyul had ever been in thus far. The mutual support they held for each other in everything they did was new, to the both of them, and moonbyul knew better than to take it for granted. they were taking turns to sleep in each other’s apartment and found joy in the changing routine they had going.

moonbyul felt like the worst storm was now tiding over, the past wounds healing, though not without leaving their marks on her. they served as a reminder of what had been, made her excited for what could be and she knew better than to pretend those times never existed, for they shaped her into the person she is today.

she still enjoyed looking at the sky, though certain times of day tend to hit a little harder than others. the couple took walks along the river nearby, talking about everything and nothing, hands clasped around each other, swinging according to the mood they were in.

over the course of a year or so, moonbyul had to let go of a relationship that she never thought would crumble, she found herself sinking. the persistent storm has caused floods she was unprepared for, until she found a tiny hole to drain the water, through wheein and hyejin, and another one, through her job at the amusement park. 2 more came in the form of chorong and bomi.

however, the biggest hole she used to drain all the built-up water was the confrontation with who was once her sun. that emptied her out, relieving the drowning feeling in her chest that accumulated. it made her an empty vessel, which made her ready for new things.

it was through joohyun that moonbyul eventually stopped looking at the world through skies. she started to appreciate other bits of nature, the tiny weed flowers growing through the cracks of concrete in the city, the small hill in the park nearby joohyun’s apartment, where the couple would often go to for picnic dates. they would lie down on their backs after eating, staring and laughing at the clouds that would float by, or point out the tiny flowers that were starting to bloom. spring was coming, for the nature and for the couple.

to moonbyul, joohyun was a tiny bunny. she hopped into her life unexpectedly, white and pure. shy, maybe a little hard to approach at first, but eventually they worked out. joohyun widened moonbyul’s perspective, taught her to see the world beyond how she was used to, and gave her the ability to appreciate more about life, and the people around her.

she might have lost her sun, but she found her bunny, and the whole world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: its finally the last chapter that took me wayyyy too long (over 2 months... goddamn... I'm sorry!!) but I've been busy with school and trying to pull away from the fandom for awhile. but i think at the end of the day i still turn writing to just chill and find enjoyment in it! its been a long journey with these characters, and i hope you've enjoyed it as much as i had fun writing it! this chapter was a whole 4000+ words and obviously not proof-read... so point out whatever mistakes you see! comments are very very appreciated, and thank you for reading :D
> 
> go follow me on twt ( same user, where I've been lurking) and on ao3 if you'd like! i hope you have a great day and night ahead!


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